A Change of Heart
by LuneSoleil
Summary: Regina Mills is struggling to deal with emerging feelings for Emma Swan. She also is attempting to change her "Evil Queen" malicious persona, and be more loving towards those she cares about. What is she willing to do for those shes loves?
1. Chapter 1

Regina's heart sank in dismay as she watched Emma begin to walk out of her candle-lit vault. She immensely regretted the preceding conversation. Emma had arrived with a childlike hopefulness, in search of a friend, someone who could understand her. Emma had completely opened up to her about feeling misunderstood, yet all Regina did was mock her and push her away, like always. Almost instantaneously, guilt set in. It was foreign to Regina to lament her own actions, but for some reason, hurting Emma always left her ashamed and remorseful. Regina wondered why she always had to be so cruel, so emotionless, and gritted her teeth in frustration. She tried so hard to refrain from hurting people as part of her new identity in Storybrooke, yet it seemed she could not rid herself of her cold nature. She was so used to being the Evil Queen, she struggled to be Regina. Not a ruthless leader, but a mother, a friend, somebody… loving.

As Emma dejectedly trudged away, blonde curls bouncing, Regina hesitated, debating whether to make amends with the disappointed woman. "Emma, I… I don't want to _kill_ you," she blurted without further thought. Immediately she held her breath as she awaited a response.

Emma turned around, with a slight smile on her face. The familiar twinkle in her deep blue eyes returned. Even this small glance from the woman curiously made Regina's heart race, and she felt herself relaxing in Emma's presence.

"See? That's a start." Emma departed the dimly lit room without another word, although her step was notably more jovial. Regina unclenched her tightly furled fists.

Regina sighed, the sound audible and reverberating in the now empty room, despising once again her inability to communicate her true feelings to Emma Swan. As much as she tried to disguise it as hatred, she had to admit she cared about Emma. More than anyone else, except for Henry. Lately, this feeling had been growing stronger, and changing, much to Regina's distaste. For her to feel anything but hatred towards another individual was nearly inconceivable. And perhaps… fondness? Regina chuckled spitefully. Impossible, of course.

Despite the conflicting thoughts filling her head, Regina felt her heart flutter a tiny bit as she thought about Emma, and a slight smile tugged at her lips. Immediately she wiped the foolish grin off her face. She stood stock-still, and realized… no. It couldn't be.

Running a hand through her short, dark hair, Regina peered at herself in the mirror on the wall behind her. It would be utterly absurd for her to have feelings for the Savior, the woman who disrupted her life, broke her curse, and took her son after abandoning him for most of his life. Not to mention, Emma was, well, a woman. Regina had never felt any sort of attraction towards another woman before, and it did not occur to her that she ever would. Straightening her blazer and tucking her hair behind her ears, she promptly blocked out the thought, for she undeniably loved her boyfriend Robin, and him alone. But… did she really? She paused and furrowed her brow. Now that she speculated upon the idea, she _had_ been trying to distance herself from him, his voice irritating her, his constant need for touch and affirmation smothering her… She shook her head to clear the mere idea of it. He was surely the one for her, and Emma was just… an annoyance. That had to be it, she assured herself. She just needed to get the woman out of her mind, and all would be normal again.

Just as she was pondering all of this, Robin strolled in. His footsteps echoed, and he pushed the stray hairs off of his face as he leaned on the doorframe of the entrance. Regina inwardly groaned at his presence; she just wanted some peace and quiet to sort out her thoughts, not her somewhat needy boyfriend. She let out a breath and braced herself.

"I thought you would be here, I just saw Emma leave," he announced to Regina. When she did not turn around, he strode towards her and gathered her in his arms to comfort her. "Hey… you ok?"

Regina froze at his touch. "I'm not sure…" she admitted rather coldly in her deep, sultry voice. Why on earth was she still thinking of Emma, while her loving boyfriend Robin was the one hugging her? Her doubts about their relationship returned. She stood on her toes and kissed him, just to see... She pulled away, repulsed all of a sudden. Oh god, it couldn't be. Her eyes widened and she stared at his face, still holding it in her hands. She had to love him, she just had to! "I… I have to go," she apologetically told him, vision blurring and eyes stinging.

Hair falling down onto his forehead, Robin looked slightly hurt. "Regina," he started, but she pushed past him, heels clicking as she purposefully ascended the stone stairs, trying to hide the tears beginning to fall from her deep brown eyes. She made it to the doorway before Robin ran up the stairs after her.

"What is _wrong_ with you Regina? What's going on?" he gently demanded, spinning her around by the arm to face him in the moonlight. "For weeks, you've been so detached…" He searched her face for an answer, blue eyes widening, then narrowing as he unwillingly made the connection.

"You've… met someone else, haven't you? Regina, tell me it's not true…" he pleaded.

Regina turned away and wiped her face on the sleeve of her expensive blazer. "No! I haven't! I mean, maybe, but I don't even quite know myself… Robin, I'm sorry!"

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'? Who is it?! Do you still love me or not?" he angrily retorted, his voice raising every second.

"Robin, I," she protested shakily, but stopped. She was at a loss. Taking a moment to compose herself, she drew a deep, shuddering breath. "I know I_want_ to love you, but… I'm just really confused right now. I think we need some time… apart." She covered her face in her hands in guilt at what she had just done.

"Are you serious?" he spat, pacing. "I gave so much for you, Regina, and, and you just throw it all away? I have a_wife_, who I have a _child _with, yet I still give you a chance? Did you ever even consider the sacrifices I made to be with you, yet your 'confusion' is reason enough to leave me?" He laughed sarcastically and took a step back, while Regina just stared, ashamed disgusted at herself. "Of course you haven't. You're still the Evil Queen. You haven't changed one bit, you only care about yourself!" He held out his arms in defeat, then dropped them to his sides. His voice became threateningly calm. "You know what- fine. I'll give you what you want. We're over!"

Regina started weeping, and ran out of the tomb, leaving the fuming Robin behind. She was embarrassed to be showing such weakness by crying. It was true, she was selfish, but for the first time in a long time, this was not a decision she chose to make for her own good. Never had she even dreamed of hurting him, but her attraction to him was just gone. Was it wrong to move on? And would she regret this later?

Regina found herself in the woods outside the marble vault. Although the stars were calm and distant as always, her racing emotions caused her magic to stir up a strong wind as she stood in the clearing, and the trees creaked and rattled, her hair blowing around her powerfully. With a tearful cry, she begrudgingly admitted to herself that she had to accept Emma's offer of friendship. She needed to talk to the one person who could understand her.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma closed the door of her yellow beetle, feeling rejected. Yet again, she reached out to the stoic Regina, but to no avail. She sat for a moment, glancing out into the forest wistfully. Wondering why she even bothered trying, she turned on the car, and drove to Granny's to have a drink before returning home and facing her mildly overbearing parents.

She sank down onto a stool at the counter with a defeated sigh. Although she had made some progress with Regina, it didn't fulfill her wishes. Ever since she arrived in Storybrooke, she felt drawn to Regina, who had a complexity to her that was entirely unique. Regina was powerful, dark, clever, and quite attractive, Emma had to admit, blushing. She hadn't felt this way about another woman since her childhood love, Lilly, but the similarities between the two were striking. Emma sighed wishfully with the thoughts of Regina dancing through her mind.

"Hello, Swan." Hook kissed the top of her head before sitting down next to her.

"Oh, hey! I didn't know you were here," Emma apologized warmly with a genuine smile, although slightly disgruntled by his display of affection. She wasn't quite sure if she considered herself in a relationship with him yet, although he surely seemed to think so. However, she had enjoyed their kiss a few weeks ago.

"I just got here. You look upset," he remarked, signaling to the bartender to bring them drinks. "What's wrong?"

Emma shook her head with a dismissive look. "Oh, it's nothing, just-" She swallowed the rest of her words as she felt his hand rest on her denim-clad thigh, desperately wishing he would remove it. "It's nothing." The drinks arrived, and she took a sip. She closed her eyes wearily, convinced the entire diner was staring at them as Hook continued to rub her leg.

Suddenly the door burst open with a jingle, revealing a disheveled Regina. Her black hair was blown about, and there was mud on her normally pristine work pants. She stalked over to Emma, who looked surprised to see her in such a state.

"Emma, I… I need to talk to you," she confessed quietly, glancing around.

"Ok," Emma agreed willingly. She was glad for the interruption, and her heart leapt joyfully at the prospect of being around Regina.

Regina looked pointedly at Hook. "…Alone. Come with me."

The two walked out of the diner, to Hook's dismay, but another glare from Regina silenced his protests.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier," she offered tenderly, Emma looking down at her feet. "I really didn't mean to sound so insensitive, I know I hurt you." Emma opened her mouth to speak, but Regina continued. She gazed sincerely at Emma. "I've just been having a really hard time trying not to unleash my anger on anybody, but-"

"Regina," Emma interrupted.

"Yes?"

"It's ok," she assured Regina, glancing up shyly to meet her intense stare. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Really?" Regina's entire persona softened with relief. She hesitated before continuing. "I care about you Emma. I really do. I just want you to know that, because it's rare for me to find someone that I don't want to hurt."

Emma couldn't hide her joy anymore, and threw her arms around a startled Regina. Regina was shocked at first, but flattered. She embraced the blonde tentatively, relieved to have gotten some of her feelings out in the open.

"Regina," Emma said contentedly once they broke apart, her eyes scanning Regina's newfound look of… was it love? Admiration? Whatever it was, it was a look she had never seen given to anyone except for Henry. Regina's deep brown eyes locked with hers, and Emma had the urge to kiss the beautiful woman in front of her. "I… care about you too." She took a step closer to the mayor.

Regina didn't get the chance to answer, as Emma leaned forwards and pressed her lips against Regina's. Emma reached up and grasped the back of Regina's head gently. Taken by surprise, Regina's eyes widened with a quick intake of breath, but then closed as she realized what was happening. Emma pulled Regina closer to her, savoring the contact. Regina's lips were as soft and perfect as they looked, and she relaxed into Emma gratefully, her hands coming to rest on Emma's sides. The blonde's hands moved and entwined in Regina's silky hair.

Footsteps and voices broke them apart. Hearts racing, they gasped for air. They gazed at each other with lovestruck eyes.

"We can't tell anyone about us," insisted Emma as Regina hurriedly smoothed her hair and nodded. "They can't know."

"Too late," came Hook's voice. He stood on the steps to the diner with his arms crossed. Emma winced, wondering how she could get out of this quandry.


	3. Chapter 3

This was exactly why Emma did not want anyone to know about her relationship with Regina.

"Swan," Hook angrily grabbed Emma and swung her around to meet his eyes. "How long has this been going on?"

"What's it to you?" she retorted. "We aren't dating, so why do you care?"

He loosened his grip and his hard glare softened to one of hurt. "What?"

Emma looked confused. "Did you… think we were… together?"

"Well, yes," Hook confessed. "Usually a kiss means that."

"Oh god," Emma rubbed her temples. "It's nothing against you, you're a great guy, but… I don't think it's going to work out for us."

"I can't believe this," Hook grumbled. He began to storm away, but not before calling back, "You're making a huge mistake."

Emma rolled her eyes, and turned back to a very awkward-looking Regina. "Sorry you had to witness all that," she apologized. They started walking towards Emma's car.

Regina laughed. "Oh that was nothing, you should have seen Robin's reaction." Her smile fading, she continued, "But about what you said- about other people knowing about us- we really need to keep that to a minimum. I don't know what the reactions of everyone will be if they find out about…us, and as the mayor, I need to be respected by everyone. I can't let their opinions of me take away from that respect."

Emma nodded as they stopped in the parking lot. "Of course. That's why I said that. Finding out that I'm with you, of all people, the one who hated me for the longest time is sure to stir up some mixed feelings from everyone, and I want to avoid that."

"You never got to finish your drink… Why don't we go back to my place?" Regina suggested.

"Sure, hop in," Emma grinned. She started the old yellow car which groaned in protest but sorely complied, and they drove to Regina's mansion of a house. There was a pause. "…Is Henry home?"

Regina laughed and raised a dark eyebrow at her remark and turned towards the blonde. "Are you implying something?" she replied in her sultry voice.

"What?" Emma quickly realized how that could have been misunderstood, and she blushed furiously. "Not that. Sorry. I was definitely not trying to say we should do that- I mean, unless you want to…" She shook her head to stop babbling. "I was just thinking, should we tell him yet?"

Regina laughed at how obviously embarrassed Emma was. "I was only kidding, dear. And no, he is not, he's staying at a friend's house for the night. But I think we should wait just a little longer- we can't have him telling anyone at school, now."

Pulling in the long driveway, Emma agreed.

"Well, shall we go in?" Regina said after a short silence. The pair got out of the car, and entered Regina's massive house. Emma sauntered into her living room and flopped down on a couch. Regina entered with two drinks in hand and sat down beside her new girlfriend with a kiss.


End file.
